


Saying Goodbye to Those We Love

by jane_fucking_seymour



Category: Six - Marlow/Moss
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-13
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2020-12-14 13:56:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21016895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jane_fucking_seymour/pseuds/jane_fucking_seymour
Summary: Regeneration - to create again. Based off of the Regeneration Multiverse Theory on my tumblr, Jane-Fucking-Seymour.





	1. All My Love, Catherine

Cathy Parr was ready.

Well, as ready as she could ever be, given the circumstances. She had done this before, though, and that was at least a small comfort: she knew what to expect. She knew what was going to happen (or, at least, had a very general idea) and she could work with that. 

It was the fear of the unknown that would have sent her spiraling, but today, it’s just… calm. Peaceful, even.

She sits at her desk, finishing up one last writing, when she hears a disapproving, soft tone come from the doorway.

“There’s no way in hell I’m letting you spend today at your desk.”

Cathy doesn’t even need to look up to know she won’t win this argument.

Catherine Parr chuckles as she nods, saving her work for what feels like the final time before putting her laptop away.

“Just wanted to put in my last thoughts,” Cathy says quietly. “Just in case-”

“You’re coming back, Catherine,” Maria says, using the full name tactic to stress the importance of the statement. She’s been at her mistress’ side for the past few days, per Cathy’s request. “You always do. _We_ always do. You’ll have plenty of time to write then.”

Cathy nods, but Catherine knows better.

“You think you won’t be able to?”

“I think I won’t be able to like this again,” Cathy explains, moving over to where the two were at her door. “We’re the same, but we change. Bit by bit, we always change when we regenerate.” 

“Well,” Catherine says, pulling her girl into herself as she wraps an arm around Cathy’s shoulders, “I don’t think you’ll be changing so much that you’ll forget how to write. It’s sort of your thing, babes.” 

Cathy chuckles at that, moving with the duo downstairs. She notices that the others aren’t there, which sends a quick burst of panic through her before Maria explains.

“They’re in their rooms, they haven’t gone yet,” Maria says softly. “They’ll be down in a few minutes. They just… wanted to have some alone time, that’s all.” 

“Kinda like what we’re doing, eh?” Cathy asks, which Maria nods. 

Silence. Cathy is in between Maria and Catherine, all of them on the couch, all of them as close as they can be.

Catherine always knows what to say to help Cathy, and this time isn’t different.

“This isn’t the end, you know,” Catherine says. “You’ll be back. You’ll be bringing Anne, which isn’t ideal,” she earns a chuckle from Parr at that before she continues, “but you, Anne and Katherine will be back. And we’ll celebrate and continue on like normal.”

“Like a new normal,” Cathy says gently. “A new sort of dynamic between all of us.” Cathy runs a hand through her hair. “Before, we all had to find our way back separately. I dunno how - or if this even works - but I’ve been… praying, that we’ll all end up in the same place when we come back. I don’t want them alone.” 

“That’s very kind of you,” Catherine says. “I’m sure Kitty will appreciate it, for sure. Anne would as well.”

More silence. Then, Cathy:

“I wrote something for you two.”

“Expected nothin’ less, to be honest,” Maria quips, earning quiet chuckles from the other two before Cathy continues. 

She takes out two envelopes. One is trimmed with gold, the other has drumsticks on it. They take their respective parchments with soft smiles.

“Don’t read it until I’m gone,” Cathy instructs. Then, to Catherine: “Yours has a few important things in it as well. Passwords to computers, different accounts, that sorta thing. I just… if something happens, then I want to be ready for it-”

“Nothing will happen, love,” Catherine says, pulling the girl into another hug. “Nothing will happen. You’ll go away for a bit, maybe take a nice nap for once wherever you go, and you’ll be back and we’ll be fine. It’ll all be okay.”

Cathy nods, but she pulls away.

“But, if it doesn’t, if something happens… I want you to be able to get to everything. You too, Maria,” she looks at the lady before looking back at Catherine. “I trust you two the most out of anyone. And I know you’ll look after it.”

Maria and Catherine look at each other before they look back at Cathy.

“We will,” Maria says gently. “I promise, you’ll be alright, but if you’re not… we’ll keep everything safe for you.”

“There’s a folder on my computer,” Cathy continues. “It’s got everything I’ve written in it. It’s free to share, to publish to-” she gets choked up, tears starting, “to send to anyone and everyone. I want to make noise, Catherine, I can’t disappear here, I can’t-!!”

Catalina pulls Catherine into a hug as she breaks down.

Catherine holds onto her like a lifeline, as if letting go would start the regeneration process automatically.

“I’m so scared, mum,” Cathy says through tears. She reaches to Maria and Maria takes her hand, the other hand on her back. “I hate this. I absolutely _hate_ this.” 

“I know, love, I know,” Catherine says, but Parr continues.

“I’ll make sure Anne and Katherine are okay, but… I’ll miss this. I’ll miss both of you, I’ll miss being your goddaughter and-”

She’s interrupted when a gentle hand tips her chin up so she’s looking Catherine right in the eye.

“Catherine Parr, you listen to me right now.” Catherine says. “You’re not just suddenly being dropped as my goddaughter, you’re not going to change so completely that we don’t recognize you. You’ll be back, and we’ll pick up wherever we left off and go from there.” Catherine smiles at the girl before kissing her forehead, then pressing their foreheads together so Catherine is as close to her girl as she can be.

“You won’t fade away, you’ll come back, and we’ll celebrate. You’re my goddaughter, no matter what. Not even five million different regenerations can stop me from loving you.” 

Cathy breaks down harder after that, collapsing into her godmum and lady in waiting, soft whispers of comfort and hope and affection coming from the three. Maria and Catherine keep their eyes on Cathy, not daring to look at each other for fear of breaking down as well. 

There will be time for that later.

It takes a few minutes, but Cathy Parr has calmed down.

“… okay.” She says quietly, leaning back on the chair. She wipes the last of her tears. “Alright. I… okay.”

Maria and Catherine nod, before Cathy stands up.

“We should get Anne,” Cathy says. “I’m sure Katherine and Jane need some extra time, considering it’s her first time. 

Catherine and Maria nods, standing up as well.

“We’ll do this together,” Catherine promises. “Just like always.”

Cathy smiles and nods, taking Catherine and Maria’s hands. 

“Always.”


	2. Don't Worry, Don't Worry

“Do you think I’ll be taller?”

Maggie raised an eyebrow in amusement at the question. Her mistress was wandering around her room, cleaning it up as best she can as Maggie sat on her bed. Compared to Cathy, Maria and Catherine downstairs, the vibe of the second queen and her lady was relatively calm, almost as if the whole regeneration wasn’t going to happen today.

It was, they both knew it. But for some reason, it didn’t seem to bother Anne as much as Cathy or, Maggie assumes, Katherine.

“I hope not,” Maggie quips, leaning back on the bed so she’s laying down. “Poor Catalina’s been through enough, doesn’t need a taller you.”

“Eh, she’ll manage,” Anne quips. “If anything, that’s my leading argument for me being taller: it’ll annoy Catherine even _more_.”

Maggie chuckles as she feels the bed give, smiling as she sees the flash of brunette lay down next to her on the bed. They’re both looking up at the ceiling.

Silence. Then, Maggie:

“You hide it well, you know.”

“Hide what?”

“Being scared.”

There’s silence for a moment, long enough for Maggie to look over at her mistress. Anne is still looking up at the ceiling, smiling, as she replies:

“Yeah, I know.”

Maggie watches her for a moment before she moves her body to face Anne completely.

“When you come back,” Maggie says, “we should go to that cafe that you’ve been dyin’ to go to.”

Anne nods. “Yeah.”

“And maybe the museum.”

“Sure.”

“And tell Catherine she was the best queen.”

“Yeah- wait, _what?”_

That makes Anne look over, alarmed, which makes Maggie laugh.

“Whatcha thinking about, babes?” Maggie asks, tilting her head.

Anne sighs, moving a bit closer to her sister. Maggie smiles brightly at it and meets her halfway.

“I’m scared, yeah,” Anne says. “But way moreso for Katherine and Cathy. Cathy’s at least been through this once. But Kitty?” Anne chuckles. “I gotta admit, I thought she’d regenerate with Jane or Anna, but never Cathy and I.”

“Maybe it’s for the best?” Maggie asks. “Maybe this is for the best.”

“How could it?” Anne asks, questioning tone in effect. “Not having her mum and her two-life-long friend with her when she wakes up, it’s not exactly ideal.”

“Maybe it’s what she needs, though,” Maggie explains. Anne gives her another questioning look, so Maggie continues. “She’ll need them to get situated back into this life, but to find home? That feels like a you and Cathy thing to me.”

“Not to me,” Anne replies.

“Maybe you can’t see it, but,” Maggie sighs, resting on her back again as she looks at the ceiling. “You two help her find home in different ways than the others. So to me, at least, it makes sense.”

Anne tilts her head in thought before she moves as close to Maggie as she can and hugs her tightly.

“You’re very smart, you know,” Anne teases gently, hugging her lady tightly. “I’m gonna miss you… you know, until we all come back. Then it’ll be fine.”

“Oh, yeah, ‘course,” Maggie quips, the two looking at each other and laughing soon after.

They enjoy each other’s company before Maggie speaks up as she sits up:

“If you’re more chaotic than now, though, I’m quitting.”

“What?!? Maggie, I would never-!” Anne starts, the two of them sitting up on the bed, Anne about to further her point until she hears another voice at the doorway:

“We should talk.”

Anne Boleyn looked over at Catherine of Aragon, who was standing at the door frame. Maggie looks over at Anne, but Anne gives her a kiss on the cheek and a nod.

“Head downstairs with Cathy and Maria,” Anne says. “I’ll be down with Catalina soon.”

Maggie nods, standing up and moving past the first queen and heading downstairs.

The two look at each other for a moment, just observing. Then, Catherine enters the room fully.

“I’ll take care of your girl, if that’s what you’re about to ask,” Anne says, figuring that’s the only thing Catherine would be concerned about right now. “She’ll be safe. Kitty, too, so don’t worry about them-”

She’s interrupted, however, by Catherine of Aragon hugging her so incredibly tightly. In her shock, Anne’s not hugged back.

“Catalina?” she asks, but then Aragon starts:

“You better come back safe and sound,” Catherine says. Her tone… is Catherine crying? “You better come back with the rest of them. I don’t care how, or in what form, but you come back to us, Anne Boleyn. And you do it quickly.”

When Catherine pulls back, it’s revealed that she is indeed crying. She kisses Anne’s forehead before she pulls back.

“Cathy and Kitty will be fine, look after yourself as much as you do them, alright?” She cups the girl’s cheek. “We’d be lost without you.”

Anne tilts her head, trying not to cry. It’s not really working. “You really have a way of making speeches, Catalina.”

“You love me for it,” Catherine challenges.

Anne almost knocks Catherine over with the force of the hug.

“Yeah,” Anne mumbles. “I do.”

They stay there for a moment, both hugging each other tightly, before another voice can be heard:

“Anne? Kitty wants you.”

They look up to see Bessie there, who quietly dismisses herself from the moment almost as soon as she entered. The first and second look at each other for a moment before Anne stands, offering a hand to Catherine.

“Come on, love,” Anne says quietly. “We’ve got some last minute things to take care of.”

Catherine, with a gentle smile, agrees.


	3. We Have This Connection

“Do you think it’ll hurt?”

“I don’t know. Cathy said it wouldn’t as long as you don’t fight it.”

“Am I gonna be totally different?”

“The others weren’t really, slight changes but nothing major-”

“What if I am, what happens then?”

“I don’t know.”

Jane Seymour was trying to keep it together, trying to answer as many questions as she possibly could, but she’s just… well, completely out of her element. 

By the end of the night, she’ll be the only one that hasn’t gone through this.

And Katherine Howard, her daughter, will have to go through it without her.

It’s a terrifying thought.

Anna, thankfully, is there to supply some answers when Jane can’t find the words, Bessie and Joan standing to the side quietly as they continue.

“Did it hurt when you changed, Anna?”

“Not really. It was like going to sleep, kind of.” 

“And you’re not different than before.”

“Not really, no.”

“Maybe I won’t be that different.”

“I doubt it.”

Jane watches the exchange quietly, playing with her hands in her lap. She’s not sure she’ll be able to make it to tonight, if she’s being totally honest. Katherine needs her, her girl _needs_ her, but Jane can’t seem to cope, and-

“Mum?”

Jane’s pulled out of her thoughts by Katherine herself, who is staring right at her. Everyone in the room is, Jane suddenly realizes, and she can’t help but feel a bit uncomfortable.

“Mum, come here.”

Katherine pats the side of the bed, and Jane dutifully goes where directed. Anna sits down on the other side of Katherine quietly.

They’re silent. None of them touching. Just barely far apart.

But then, Katherine speaks.

“I’m scared.”

Jane and Anna instantly go to speak, but Katherine continues:

“Not for me, though, for you two.”

“What?” Anna asks.

“You two have been really quiet,” Katherine explains with a shrug, “and it’s scary. That means you’re overthinking, both of you.” She looks up at Jane. “It means you’re worried.”

Jane watches her girl carefully; Katherine’s always been the most perceptive of the group, always seeing through fake emotions and smiles and always checking with the others. Come to think of it, outside of the very bad days, it’s Kat that usually checks in with everyone else.

Of course she’d do it now, even as she’s about to leave.

“I’ll be alright, if that helps,” Katherine says. “I’m not really that scared. Anxious, yeah, because I don’t know how it goes, but… not scared. I’ll have Cathy and Anne, we’ll be alright.” 

“I know, love,” Jane says, trying to smile, but she knows Katherine will see through it like always.

“You all,” she looks at the ladies for this as well, “have taken care of me so well while I’ve been like this. And… thank you.” she smiles at them. “Thank you for everything.”

“Of course,” Anna says, putting her hand in Katherine’s. “And we’ll care for you even more when you get back.” 

Katherine nods, but turns to look directly at Anna as she does so.

“I need you to promise me something.”

“Anything,” Anna nods.

“Take care of Mum for me.”

Jane looks over, but Katherine is faced away. She can’t even see Anna’s face right now.

“Oh?” Anna asks.

“She needs it. More than me, more than you.” She looks back at Jane and hugs her. “She needs the love and I won’t be here. So you gotta look after her, alright?”

Anna nods. “Of course.”

Then, Katherine turns to Jane.

“And I’ve got a favor to ask of you, mum.”

“Alright,” Jane says, a soft smile on her face. “What’s up, love?”

“Take care of Anna,” Katherine says. “She needs it and I won’t be here to give it. So you gotta help her. Alright?”

Jane chuckles, but nods. “Of course.”

Katherine looks up at Bessie and Joan. “And you two, you’ll help too, right? For them and for Catalina and Maggie and Maria?” When they nod, Katherine stands. She looks mildly heroic as she turns to face the two other queens.

“Then what’s there to worry about? It’ll be fine, we’ll all be alright. I’ll make sure Cathy and Anne don’t get themselves into too much trouble, and we’ll find our way home. Like always.” Katherine smiles bravely at that. “We’ll be just fine.”

“That’s the spirit.”

Katherine doesn’t even need to look, she just laughs as someone walks into the room and pulls her into a hug from behind. She leans into Anne Boleyn’s touch a bit more.

“Kitty’s got the right idea,” Anne quips. “We’ll all be alright, I promise.” She winks at the two still sitting on the bed. “I’ll get her home, we’ll be just as chaotic and it’ll be great.”

“Oh, please, no,” Anna groans, teasing the two. “You lot are bad enough right now, please no more chaos. When you come back, be a bit more chill, alright?”

Katherine sticks her tongue out teasingly. “Not a chance.”

Jane and Anna stand and, with a smile, Katherine goes to hug them both.

“Thank you,” she says quietly, “for everything you’ve done for me. I promise, when we come back, we’ll go on a great adventure or something around town. We’ll get to know each other again, and it’ll be like I never left.”

Jane hugs Katherine tightly. “I’d like that.”

Anna nods. “I as well.”

They stay like that for what feels like minutes before Anne clears her throat.

“Alright you lot,” Anne says with a smile. “We should get going downstairs. Cathy and the others are waiting for us.”

Katherine links arms with Jane and Anna and, even though it takes some maneuvering, they’re all still connected by the time they reach downstairs.


	4. It's the End of the Show, of the Historemix

Katherine, Jane, Anna, Joan and Bessie all arrive downstairs with little fanfare, everyone sitting on the couches. For today, at least, Catherine’s big leather chair is vacated by the queen; Catherine sits next to Parr on one of the big couches, Maria right next to her. Joan and Bessie sat on Catherine’s chair together while Katherine, Anna and Jane sat close on the opposite couch. Anne and Maggie were left to their own devices, sitting on pillows on the floor right at Kat’s feet.

“This is it, then,” Cathy says quietly.

“Is this what it feels like?” Katherine asks. “Right before it-”

“It’s a bit weird, isn’t it?” Anne asks with a gentle smile. “But it’s… nice. To a degree.”

Katherine nods. “Yeah. It is.”

Silence.

More silence.

Even more silence. 

Then, Catherine of Aragon speaks:

“When you all get back, what do you want for dinner?”

They all look at her, and Catherine looks a bit awkward, but Katherine is grateful for such a normal question.

“I want chicken pot pie, to be honest,” Katherine says. 

“Weird way to say fish and chips, Kitty,” Anne quips.

“I’m surprised neither of you said ice cream,” Cathy observes, holding Catherine a bit more as she nuzzles into the other woman’s hold.

Katherine and Anne look shocked.

“We can do that?!?”

“No, no, absolutely not,” Jane says. Then, at the puppy dog eyes from both Katherine and Anne: “I don’t care, you’re having a healthy dinner when you’ve come back!” 

“We’ll make extra portions, though,” Anna says with a grin. “But I agree with Jane, healthy dinner it is. And thanks, Cathy, for even suggesting it to them when they clearly didn’t think about that.”

“What am I here for if not to sow a little chaos now and then?” Cathy quips with a wink, making everyone else laugh.

The group falls into silence.

Then, Catherine:

“Oh, I almost forgot,” she says, looking over at Maria. “You all will be staying with us until they come back, right?”

“That’s the plan,” Maria nods.

Cathy sighs in relief. “Good. I didn’t want you all alone after this.”

“Maggie’ll take my room, right?” Anne asks. When Maggie nods, Anne smiles. “Good. That’s why I cleaned it earlier.”

“Oh, how thoughtful,” Maggie teases, laughing when Anne rolls her eyes.

“And Joan and Bessie will take mine or something?” Katherine asks. “However you all want to figure it out.”

“We’ll get a daybed, probably, and put it somewhere,” Joan thinks, looking over at Bessie. “Probably something like that.”

“Yeah, that sounds good enough for me,” Bessie agrees. 

“It’ll be just fine,” Jane says quietly, holding onto Kat some more. “We’ll all be fine.”

“Exactly, babes,” Anne says with a smile. “We’re gonna be okay.”

Silence.

More silence.

And then:

“Ah, damn, I was hoping it was me first.”

They all look over at Anne, who looks over at Cathy. There, before their eyes, Catherine is dissolving into light.

“I…” Cathy starts, but then she looks up at Catherine, smiling as she holds onto her tighter. “I love you all,” Cathy says. “We’ll see you all soon.”

She smiles one last time before she’s completely dissolved into light, Catherine of Aragon now holding onto thin air.

Anne stands up then, going to the center of the room; as she walks, she, too, starts to glow. 

“Alright then, I’ll make sure she’s safe,” Anne says. “Kitty, too, when she’s ready.” Anne winks in Jane and Anna’s direction before she looks back at Maggie; she refuses to look at anyone else now, wanting her lady to be the last person she sees. “I’ll get them home, promise.”

She, too, dissolves into light.

There’s silence for a moment, but it’s almost deafening for Katherine. It’s going to happen, she knows, and it’ll happen soon-

“Kitty?”

She’s going to fade away, just like the other two, it’s going to happen and she can’t stop it-

“Katherine.”

\- and if she tries, it’ll hurt, they said, but how can she let herself just go when she doesn’t even know what letting go feels like-

“Kat!”

Katherine looks up and realizes she’s hit the floor in her panic, eyes wide as she looks up at the people who have been trying to call for her. Anna and Jane are holding onto her, soft smiles on their faces. They’re glowing, somewhat-

\- oh. Wait. _They_ aren’t. 

She is.

It doesn’t feel nice, but it doesn’t feel bad, either. It feels weird. How Anne and Cathy were able to disappear with such grace is something Katherine will not understand, not in this life, anyways.

“It’s alright, love,” Jane says gently. “Just let go.”

“They’ll be waiting for you,” Anna promises. “They’ll be right there beside you, wherever you end up.”

Katherine nods, looking around at the ladies in waiting and at Catherine, who has joined her fellow queens on the floor to comfort the girl on her first regeneration. Katherine looks down at her hands and they’re translucent, body glowing even more.

“You’ll be alright,” Catherine promises. 

“It’ll be fine,” Jane supports.

“We’ll see you soon,” Anna says.

Katherine smiles at them, tries to say something, but she’s fading fast.

“Take care of each other.”

And then, suddenly, in a brilliant flash, she’s gone.

Catherine of Aragon, Jane Seymour and Anna of Cleves all looked at each other. Maggie, holding onto Bessie, turns away from the sight while Maria and Joan hold hands.

The queens stand and, all at once, pull each other into a weird yet comfortable three-woman embrace. Tears have started and they won’t stop for a while.

Six, for the moment, had become three.


	5. We've Switched Up the Flow and We've Changed the Prefix

It’s been three days.

Three days, and no sign of them.

Anne Boleyn.

Katherine Howard.

Catherine Parr.

All gone.

Those that remained are taking it very, very differently.

Catherine had gone quiet, silently moving about the house. Anna barely left her room except when absolutely necessary. Maria stayed close to her queen, as did Bessie and Joan.

The ones that were hit the hardest were Maggie and Jane.

Maggie had barely managed to get out of bed recently; if it wasn’t for Maria and Bessie, she’d not get out at all. Jane, meanwhile, had completely shut down, refusing to talk to anyone and basically icing everyone out.

It was tough on all of them, especially when they were required to perform.

For almost the full week, none of them did stage door.

It was the fifth day when Catherine of Aragon decided to do something about it. 

“Alright,” Catherine says, standing up. “I’m going out for the day. You’re all coming with.”

Jane immediately got up and left the room without any discussion. That was expected.

“I don’t really want to-” Maggie starts, but Maria’s already pulled her up.

“I’m going to stay with Jane,” Joan says respectfully.

“I think Bessie and I will as well,” Anna asks, looking over at Bessie, who nodded in agreement.

Catherine sighed.

“Fine. Maria and Maggie are required, though.”

“Hey-!” Maggie starts, but Maria’s already gotten the girl’s coat. With a sigh, Maggie puts it on.

“Don’t go too far, just in case, okay?” Anna asks.

Catherine nods. “Call us if something happens.” She looks upstairs, where the door had just slammed shut. “Bad or good.”

Joan nods, and the trio of Maggie Maria and Catherine head out for the day.

It was a terrible idea at first.

Maria had hoped that the sunshine - one of the few sunny days in London - would help them, would bring some positive energy, but it just wasn’t the case. It was almost comical, how sad Maggie was while the sun was shining brightly on her. No matter what Catherine did, it wouldn’t help; Maggie was just in a rut, one that she couldn’t save the girl from.

“I appreciate the thought,” Maggie says gently as she sits on a bench next to Maria. “But this is what happens when we lose our queens. We… shut down.” Maggie motions to Maria. “Happens to her when you leave.”

Catherine frowns, kneeling in front of the girl. “Is there anything - _anything - _that I can do to help?”

Maggie makes a face, thinks about it, then looks up slightly hopefully.

“… can you get me Anne’s favorite drink?”

Catherine chuckles. “Of course, love. Maria, do you want anything?”

“No, no, I’m staying with the little one here,” Maria says, smiling gently at Maggie. Maggie smiles back; a first in about a week. “We’ll be alright.”

Catherine nods, moving towards the nearby coffee shop. There’s so much on her mind right now: she knew it took a while, but this long? Were they okay? Were they in trouble? What if something happened, could things have gone that bad? Were they all together? What if-

“Excuse me, miss?”

Catherine blinks, recognizing the voice…

… of the barista, who is trying to get her to order.

She sighs, orders, then stands to the side. Cathy and Anne promised that they’d be back soon, but who’s to say they come back at all? All of this was just assumptions, things they could only guess at. What if that had been it? What if they were three now-

Oh, her order is up. Okay.

She takes the cups and goes towards the patio of the shop, still distracted by her worries, the stuff she doesn’t want to admit she’s terrified of. What if they’re gone? What if this was it? What if they never come back-

She’s stopped now, however, by banging into someone.

“Oh, I’m sorry-” she starts, but as soon as she hears the voice, she freezes.

“Always steppin’ on my toes, aren’t you, Catalina?”

Catherine of Aragon has never heard that voice before, but it’s one she recognizes immediately.

The cup drops from her hands and, before it even touches the ground, the first queen is embracing the second.

Anne Boleyn definitely looks different, but it’s a good change; one that Catherine, even while hugging the girl tightly, knows already. 

“I missed you,” Catherine says against Anne’s shoulder.

“I missed you, too,” Anne admits, smiling into Catherine’s embrace. “It’s alright, love. I told you, remember?” 

Anne leans back with a bright smile and nods her head in the direction of the door. At that exact moment, Catherine can hear Maria scream in excitement.

“I promised I’d get them home, didn’t I?”

It takes a moment, but Catherine instantly perks up, drinks forgotten, and she takes Anne’s hand and rushes outside.

There, right in front of her, is Maria hugging someone Catherine should not recognize… but instantly does.

“Catherine!”

Cathy Parr turns around, smiling gently at her mum. 

There’s a moment where Aragon just takes her in: the new look, the new hair, the new eyes- well, no, not new eyes. Not really. They’re searching, inquisitive… they’re Catherine Parr to a tee.

“You’re taller,” Catherine says with a smile. 

“I am,” Cathy says, slowly starting to close the gap between them. “Finally, Jane’ll be the shortest out of any of us.”

“Sounds good to me, at least,” Catherine says with a chuckle. Then, with a nod, she opens her arms. “Get in here, love. I’ve missed you.”

Cathy, laughing, runs to her mum to give her a hug.

They hug as tightly as they can for a few moments before Catherine sighs in relief; a breath she didn’t know she was holding.

Meanwhile, another reunion was happening, as Maria spots Anne first and taps Maggie on the shoulder. Maggie, sluggishly, turns to look… and then gasps.

“You’re back!”

She tries to reach for Anne, but ends up tripping as she does so; her body isn’t used to such sudden movements at the moment. Anne is quick to reach her to help.

“It’s alright, Maggie,” Anne says gently. “I’m here, I promise.”

Maggie looks up… and Anne is sympathetic; the girl’s crying.

“Oh, love, I missed you so much,” Anne says, moving to hug her lady in waiting as gently as she can. She tightens the embrace, however, when Maggie latches onto her with all her strength.

“I missed you so much,” Maggie mumbles.

“I missed you too, love, but it’s alright. We’re back. We should be okay for a while.” Anne says with a gentle kiss to the girl’s forehead, wiping away the tears.

Maria sits back and watches everyone before she hugs Cathy again.

“If you two are back, then does that mean Kitty is as well?” Catherine asks, tilting her head as she brings Cathy as close as she can. Maria and Maggie hook their arms around both of Anne’s - one on each side of her - and the five continue down the path, headed home.

“She went on ahead,” Cathy explained. “We came to find you… plus, she might need some time.”

“We shouldn’t keep away for long, though,” Maria suggests. “Jane’s… not been herself lately.”

“No, it’s more like she was herself more than ever,” Maggie says. “… from my experience, at least.”

“We’ll say hello as soon as we get in,” Anne decides. “Come on, then.”

Meanwhile, back at the house, the youngest queen has finally worked up the courage to knock on the door.

The person that answers is Bessie, who immediately brings Katherine inside.

“Anna! Joan!” she yells, quick to hug the girl tightly but staying out of the way for when Anna and Joan arrive.

It takes half a moment for them to rush forward, yelling in delighted surprise before they both move to embrace the youngest queen.

“Look at you!” Anna says, keeping a close eye on the girl to check for any injuries or anything bad. “You’re blonde!”

“I know, I know, it’s incredible, right?” Katherine asks, chuckling. “I quite like this. Feels like I’ve been in it before, you know? Even though I’ve only had one body… kind of.”

Anna nods. “Feels familiar to me, too, but I absolutely LOVE it, babes.” Anna holds the girl close. “We missed you. So much.”

“I know, but I’m here now,” Katherine says with a nod and a smile and a kiss to Anna’s cheek. “We’re all back. They’ll be home shortly, I imagine, so-”

“Hang on, lemme in!” Joan says, and Katherine laughs as she’s embraced by the lady in waiting. Joan hugs her so tightly that Katherine almost can’t breathe (almost). 

“How’s mum?” Katherine asks, looking around the room. No sign of her, that’s not good.

Anna, Bessie and Joan look at each other.

“She’s… not been well,” Joan says quietly.

“Well,” Katherine says, moving towards the stairs. “Let me see if I can do anything about that, then.”

Joan moves with her and, gently, opens the door. Jane Seymour is laying on her bed, back to the door.

“I told you, Joan,” Jane says, and Katherine winces at the coldness of the tone. “I said no visitors-”

“I’ll come back later, then?” Katherine asks in a very teasing tone.

Jane seemingly freezes on the bed, and Kat can swear she’s stopped breathing, before she slowly but surely turns around.

“… Katherine?”

Katherine smiled brightly as she moved past Joan, looking Jane right in the eye. She played with the tips of her blonde hair a bit nervously as she knelt down in front of her mum.

“You and I look the part now, mum,” Katherine said with a bright smile. 

Jane instantly perks up, showing more signs of life than she has in days. She’s instantly off the bed and hugs her girl as tightly as she can.

Her sobs are the loudest thing in the room for a few minutes. Katherine tries to keep her upright, but eventually falls back against the bed from the force of Jane’s cries. 

“It’s alright, mum, I’m here, I’m good, you’ll see,” Katherine says, gently rubbing up and down her mum’s back. 

“I was so scared that-” Jane starts, but Katherine gently shushes her.

“I know. But we made it, we’re alright,” Katherine says quietly. Jane eventually has the strength to pull back, taking her girl in.

It’s new, but it’s familiar, and it’s _right_.

“Did it hurt?” Jane asks; for some reason, it’s the first thought she has.

Katherine’s grin goes wider, and she shakes her head.

“No, it was okay. I was lost for a few minutes, but Anne found me,” Katherine says with a nod. “Then we found Cathy.”

Speaking of them, the rest from the park have arrived, immediately crowding the room as they see the warmth and light return to Jane, almost like magic.

“And we all came home,” Anne continues with a smile. “Just like I promised, alright?”


	6. Going, Going, Gone.

“Okay.”

Katherine Howard took a deep breath, hands balled into fists, as she walks down the stairs and to the living room. The other queens as well as the ladies in waiting were all gathered there, incredibly worried looks on their faces.

Katherine took it all in for a moment before she sighed.

“Well… guess it’s just me, then.”

Jane frowns.

“What’s wrong, love?” she asks, nervously bouncing a knee as she looks around, trying to see if anyone knew what was going on. It was clear they didn’t.

“I just… need to say this now, because I might not have a lot of time left, but…” Katherine bit her lip, looking straight at Jane before she looks down. She can’t do this if she’s looking at her mum. There’s no way.

“I’m going to regenerate.”

The air left the room for a moment.

“How long?” Cathy asks, voice calm and measured despite the panic that Katherine can almost feel being summoned.

“I’ve been feeling like this for five days. That’s how it worked last time, too, so… I’m certain today’s the day.”

“You waited this long to tell us?” Anne asks quietly, sitting next to her queen. Her hand’s in Jane’s and Jane is holding onto it tightly, looking down at the ground. She’s silent, as Katherine expected her to be.

“Because I didn’t want to scare anyone off,” Katherine admits. “And with everything going on, everyone’s really busy, and I-”

“You really thought we would just… leave you, to deal with this yourself?” Anna asks, shaking her head. “Babe, we’re here for you. No matter what. Like you have for us.”

Katherine stays quiet, looking down. 

To be fair, she was really only scared about _one_ of them leaving, not all of them.

Regardless.

The lights suddenly flicker and the power is suddenly out.

Catherine sighs. “Brilliant, exactly what we needed right now.”

Katherine looks over at Catherine and Maria. “I know we got closer this time around. I think we can be closer still. I hope I have the chance to.”

Then, to Cathy: “You and I still have a lot of books to read and stories to write. We’ll get through them when I come back. Promise.”

Then, to Anne and Maggie. “I couldn’t ask for better people to get into trouble with. I’m lookin’ forward to them when I get back.”

Then, to Anna and Bessie: “You’ve been here since day one, and I’ll forever be grateful. I hope we can still be as close as we’ve always been when I return.”

Then, to Joan: “I love you. Thank you. I’ll see you soon.”

She moves over to Jane, who is already visibly upset, kneeling down to look up at the blonde and giving her a gentle smile.

“We looked so similar this time around… and it was great. We got to play the parts we always had, you know?” she smiles widely at Jane, even as her body begins to glow. She knows what’s happening, she knows it’s time. She timed it perfectly.

She learned from all of the best.

“I know we weren’t as close. I’m sorry for pushing you all those times. I get it now; you aren’t ready. I’m not either, if it helps.” She takes Jane’s hands; Jane notes that they’re very warm to the touch. “I’ll make up for it moving into the next time. I know we will, actually. You’re my mum, Jane Seymour, no matter what, and I love you.” She looks over at everyone else. “I love you all.”

Katherine leans forward, whispers something to Jane, kisses Jane on the cheek… and fades away in a flash of light.

Jane’s eyes are wide, hand shakily going to the kiss on her cheek, where her daughter was only a moment ago.

The lights flicker back on, but Jane is stood still and silent.

“Jane?” Joan asks quietly, but the girl is still in shock. “Jane, I-”

Jane Seymour bolts from the room and grabs her coat, heading out the door and into the cold, London night.


	7. I'm Comin' Home

Katherine gasped awake.

It’s early in the morning, she realizes, as she sits up from her final resting place - well, the first one, anyways.

She stands up in the same clothing she had been in when she regenerated. As far as she’s concerned, it’s August, and she’s a bit confused as to why she’s cold in the middle of August.

Well, she thinks, moving forward, she could totally figure that out later.

She goes to move towards a nearby booth in the Tower of London, only to trip and stumble on her jeans. She looks down with a frown, then a groan.

“I’m really fucking short now, aren’t I?”

“Yeah.”

Katherine starts, unaware that someone was around, only to relax when she sees who it is.

“You’re that historian, right? Parr’s friend?”

The woman in question steps forward, smiling softly at the girl. Years ago, the same woman found Katherine in her original form, scared and ill and soaked through by a torrential downpour. Back then, Katherine was scared of her. Not now.

“And you’re Katherine Howard, aren’t you?” she asks, extending a hand. “I think I have some people that would be really,  _ really _ happy to see you.”

Katherine, with a grin, takes the hand, instantly following; what luck, she thinks, finding someone that she and the other queens trust.

“You know, I was actually filming a piece on you,” the historian says with a smile. “I guess it’s cancelled now.”

“Cancelled?” Kat asks, tilting her head. “What do you mean?”

“Because of how long you were gone,” the historian says, starting her car.

Katherine blinks. “What do you mean?”

The historian tilts her head, putting her phone on speaker as she calls who Kat is assuming is Cathy. “You don’t know?”

Before Katherine can ask more, Cathy picks up.

“Oh, hey,” Cathy says, voice clearly tired. Katherine smiles sympathetically at that; they always didn’t sleep well while one of their fellows queens was mid-regeneration. “What’s up?”

“My documentary is cancelled,” the historian says with a grin.

Cathy blinks.

“The one about Katherine?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Can’t do it if she’s back,” the historian says nonchalantly, nodding at Katherine. Like a cue, Katherine speaks up.

“Cathy! Hello! It’s me!” she waves at the phone, even though she knows Cathy can’t see her.

There’s dead silence for a moment before Cathy speaks again. This time, she’s clearly emotion, clearly tearing up.

“Kitty? Is that you?”

“Yeah! I’m back, babes, don’t worry,” Katherine says with a smile. “We’re headed to the flat now, right?”

Cathy doesn’t give either of them a chance to reply. “You better bring her ‘round right away. Please.”

“I will,” the historian says, voice soft and gentle. “We’re at the Tower. Exactly where you thought she’d be. An intern of mine saw her come back and alerted me.”

“The intern deserves a raise for not running off in fright, I’ve been told the actual return part is really sudden with the whole lightning thing,” Cathy says, a bit of light in her tone. “Please hurry. I’ll get the others.”

“I’ll see you soon!” Katherine says with a bright smile, nodding as the phone is hung up. The historian drives quickly to the flat, barely stopping before Katherine gets out of the car.

“Katherine, before you go in-” she starts, but Kat’s already out of the car and rushing - a bit clumsily due to the oversized clothing she’s wearing - towards the door.

She opens it quickly and rushes towards the hallways, but not before she’s caught someone to her right. She looks over, excited to say hello-

-only to find that it wasn’t actually anyone, but rather  _ herself _ . She’s shorter, but blonde, definitely similar builds as before, and… well, she probably looks the closest to being related to Jane now than she’s ever been.

Katherine’s eyes widen with joy, her smile getting even bigger as she sprints up the stairs.

“Mum!”

A head pokes out from one of the other rooms- they call for her, but she doesn’t dare stop. She has someone to see, someone that she now realizes that she’s not seen just yet with this new form.

She takes the door knob, moving to open it…

… only for another hand to jet out and pull the door shut. 

Katherine blinks, looking up (is she shorter than everyone now?) at the person now in her way. She can’t contain her joy right now.

“Annie!”

Anne Boleyn, however, does not look as excited.

“Keep your voice down,” Anne says, a harsh whisper that cuts through Kat’s excitement. Anne gently takes Katherine’s hand, leading her downstairs.

Three of the four other queens are waiting for her. She’s missing only one.

“Where’s Jane?” Kat asks, but this time it’s Anna that quiets Kat with a gentle “shhh”.

“Can you sit down for a moment, Kitty?” Catherine asks, taking lead as she sits in her normal chair. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see Maria, Maggie and Bessie. Maria whispers something to Maggie, something Kat can’t hear, which makes Maggie move back upstairs from which they all came.

Maybe she’s going to get Jane?

“What’s going on?” Kat asks, tilting her head. “Is everything alright?”

“Do you know what day it is, Kat?” Catherine asks, voice even and calm and… tired?

“Uhm… not really, but it does feel different than before,” Katherine says, leaning back to think. Anna sits on one side of her, Anne on the next. Anna gently puts a hand on Kat’s back, rubbing up and down in a soothing motion, while Anne takes one of Kat’s hands and puts it into her own.

“So you just woke up?” Anna asks, and when Katherine nods, Anna sighs in relief. “That’s good. We were scared that you were lost.”

“Lost?” Katherine asks, frowning. “Why would I be lost? It was only a few days, right?”

Anne, Catherine, Cathy, and Anna look warily amongst themselves. Anne’s hand tightens on Kat’s and Anna’s soothing motions have a bit more weight to them.

It’s like they’re bracing her for something.

Turns out, they are.

“It’s been about two months since we last saw you,” Catherine says.

The wind is absolutely knocked out of the fifth queen.

“Two… tw-two months?” Katherine asks, shocked. “But, that’s not how any of this works. That’s not how ANY of this is supposed to work-”

“We know, Kit, we know,” Anne says gently. “We didn’t know what happened. We still don’t.”

“Cathy thought it was because of how quickly you regenerated again,” Catherine says calmly.

Cathy steps forward then, nodding. “It’s not normal for someone to change that fast. So we figured… maybe something had gone wrong.”

“But if you don’t remember anything, then it’s likely you were just… suspended, or something, don’t know,” Anna replies.

Kat looks around wildly. “Has the show continued?”

Catherine nods. “We’ve had a swing on… it was a bit touch and go when we realized it was more long term than anticipated, but they’ve been up to the challenge, like always.” Catherine gives her a gentle smile. “They’ll be glad to see you back, though.”

Kat frowns, looking down at her lap. “... why can’t I see Jane?”

She doesn’t need to look up to know that they’re all trying to come up with an appropriate answer.

“She… has not been well,” Anna replies. “There’s been a lot of anxiety about your disappearance, love-”

“And,” Anne says, a bit harsher in tone, “because of your very sudden, very unnecessary fast regeneration-”

“Anne,” Catherine says, shaking her head. “Not the time.”

“No, wait,” Kat replies. “What do you mean? I couldn’t control that, I couldn’t decide when I was going to regenerate-”

“But you  _ could _ control when you told us.”

They all look up and, for the first time this regeneration, the daughter and mother have reunited once more.

Jane looks a bit regal as she moves down the stairs, and Katherine wants to run to her, to hug her, but the look on Jane’s face… she gets the impression that it wouldn’t be welcomed just yet.

“Mum?” Kat asks, tilting her head. “Mum, what’s wrong?”

Jane stands in front of Kat now, Joan moving to help her down the last few stairs before returning to the other ladies. Kat can spot Maria giving Joan a gentle smile before they return their attention to the current event.

Usually, Jane would sit down in front of Kat, make sure she’s ok, then move onto the more pressing matter. Her gaze would be warm but hurt, maybe a bit of anger, but Kat could recognize that Jane was still Jane, and that everything would be okay, regardless of what happened next.

There was no such look in Jane Seymour’s eyes tonight.

“What in the  _ world _ ,” Jane says, tone so icy that it literally makes Katherine shiver, “were you thinking, just leaving us like that?”

Katherine looks around nervously, so confused at the question.

“Mum, I didn’t have a choice, I didn’t know I was going to regenerate and we don’t know how to stop it so-” Katherine starts, but Jane interrupts.

“That’s  _ not _ what I’m talking about. I’m talking about  _ how _ you left - how you just sprung that on us with less than ten minutes for us to say our proper goodbyes.”

Kat blinks. 

“ _ That’s _ what this is about?” Kat asks, tilting her head. As if it’s the weirdest question Jane could ask right now. As if it’s not even an issue for Katherine.

It makes Jane all the more furious.

“You MUST be joking if you think you left on good terms, Lady Katherine Howard,” Jane says, almost a growl at this point. “You left us with no proper way to say goodbye. You just… what in the world were you thinking?”

Katherine takes a moment before she speaks.

“I know how hard this stuff is on everyone, so I thought that maybe if I did it quickly, if I didn’t… drag it out, then it would be better.

Katherine swallows thickly as Jane continues.

“Did you think we’d just… not want time? To grieve with you? To make a plan with you?”

Katherine shakes her head, almost scared to do so. “I… you ran off. You ran off into the cold last time. I had to go find you, and I didn’t. Do you not remember what you did the last time? Do you not remember running away?”

Jane stiffens at the questions; they’re not accusatory, they’re simply… asked.

Very unlike the Katherine Howard directly before her, but not so much a different Katherine Howard altogether.

“I do remember that,” Jane says, tensed up quite a bit. “But I also returned not too long afterwards.”

“And none of us knew when you would,” Kat replies softly. “We thought you just… abandoned us.”

The realization of what Kat was implying hits Jane like a train.

“You thought… if I knew too far in advance, I would abandon you?”

Kat shrugs, looking down at the ground. 

“I didn’t want a repeat of last time. That’s all.”

The others look up at Jane, whose icy exterior has definitely broken within the past few minutes. Finally, Jane does what Katherine expected originally - she gently lowers herself to the floor, gently kneeling in front of Katherine, putting her hands in Katherine’s, and making sure to catch Kat’s eye.

“I guess there’s some blame to go around, then,” Jane replies. “I’m sorry, my love. I… I would NEVER want you to think that I would abandon you. That… I needed air, love. I would - I WILL - always come back. Don’t you worry about that.” She gently runs a soft hand through Kat’s long hair. “I promise you, Katherine.”

Katherine watches Jane for a moment before she nods again.

“Okay. And… I’m sorry. For just running off. I… I won’t ever do that again. I promise.”

Jane takes a moment to take in her daughter - to look her in the eye, to commit her new form to memory. 

It’s silent for a while, until Anna very gracefully breaks the silence.

“She’s lookin’ more and more like you with each turn, Janey,” she says with a grin.

Anne nods. “We’ll have to get a group photo soon. I can’t wait to see you in your costume!”

Cathy steps forward with a grin. “You’re so short, I think you’re the shortest now.”

Catherine chuckles. “We missed you, Katherine, as you can clearly see.”

Jane nods at the last one before opening her arms.

“Welcome home, Katherine.”


End file.
